A restore job fails when restoring virtual machines to ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server 5.x
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A restore job fails when restoring virtual machines to ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server 5.x

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Article ID: 336321

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
  • Cannot restore virtual machines to ESX/ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server 5.x.
  • The restore job fails when restoring virtual machines to ESX/ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server 5.x.
  • Restoring virtual machines to ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server using Symantec Backup Exec fails.
  • In the job log, you see the error:

    Access to the host is restricted because it is being managed by a Virtual Center.

    Error writing file data.



Environment

VMware vCenter Server Appliance 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 5.1.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1

Cause

Starting with ESXi 5.0, VMware has blocked the ability to restore virtual machines to ESX/ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server. This is to ensure consistency between the information in the vCenter Server database and in the ESX/ESXi host's configuration and list of registered virtual machines.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, either restore virtual machines via vCenter Server or restore them via ESX/ESXi after unmanaging the host from vCenter Server. The steps below apply to ESX/ESXi 5.x:
To unmanage an ESX/ESXi host from vCenter Server:
  1. Connect to the ESX/ESXi host directly using the vSphere Client.
  2. Go to Home > Inventory.
  3. Select the host and click the Summary tab.
  4. In the Host Management section, click Disassociate host from vCenter Server.

    Note: This does not affect the other ESX/ESXi host's connectivity to vCenter Server. The ESX/ESXi host that is disassociated from vCenter Server will show as (not responding).
    You can reconnect the host to vCenter Server by right clicking the ESX/ESXi host in vCenter Server and selecting Connect.


Additional Information

For more information, see the Symantec articles TECH173237 and TECH180679.

Note: The preceding links were correct as of February 6, 2013. If you find the link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.


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